Monday round-up: capitalism, Cumbria, kilts, confusion

OK, so this was meant to be a Friday round-up, but Capacitybuilders expressions of interest defeated me. And what a sunny weekend it was, unless you work at a bank / building society, or use one....or prefer watching telly.

- And starting on that subject, after my contributions, a cavalcade of apocalyptic now-is-the-chance-for-social-enterprise-in-this-time-of-capitalist-collapse articles and posts from the social entrepreneur blogerati: Craig Dearden-Phillips, Rob Greenland and Rod Schwartz; would love to hear your views on whether this is challenge / opportunity....

- In connected (ish) news, the European Venture Philanthropy Association had its fourth conference in Frankfurt last week. Philanthropy UK's report included a call for philanthropists to "keep the faith", and the interesting comment that "In the current economic climate venture philanthropists may need to help charities merely to survive rather than to grow or replicate"

- ECT update news from TheLawyer.com (a first for this blog) from the law firm who helped dispose of its various subsidiaries, after what they call a "disastrous diversification". Ouch

- Can the effectiveness of third sector organisations be measured and compared? It's an old chestnut, but that doesn't mean people will stop trying to crack it....see Intelligent Giving's take on a new US initiative, the excitingly-monickered Portfolio Data Management System.

- Social Enterprise Ambassador news: Daniel Heery of Cybermoor fame is also heavily involved in using technology to improve healthcare in Cumbria with some really innovative practice. See this piece on Alston Healthcare

-  Every blog in the world is covering this, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't: Google's 10 to the 100th, a call for ideas to change the world

- Social Enterprise Magazine, currently mid-refurbishment at their new offices, have a good overview of the goings-on at the Social Enterprise World Forum in Edinburgh a couple of weeks back; with only a couple of mentions of kilts.

- Co-operatives UK have released a new publication on community investment by sector expert Jim Brown; it is, the blurb tells us, "The most comprehensive guide to undertaking community share issues to date"

- FOOTSEY no. 7 is taking place in Yorkshire this October 16th. Promises to be the biggest ever and, based on last year's event, I'd say it's well worth a visit. Unfortunately, it coincides with SSE's residential, but I'd encourage all those in the area (and outside) to attend.

- How is social enterprise like a mammoth with no memory? Because it's "woolly and confused", of course, according to the sector press' take on the OTS research I reported on previously. There may be momentum building behind the South West's Social Enterprise Mark....though SEC has started its own identity project. No mammoths involved as yet.

- And finally, following Alex Bellinger of SmallBizPod calling Shine 08 "one of the best entrepreneurship conferences I've been to all year" and exhorting people to attend Shine 09 (now being planned), there are also some more photos and videos emerging from the event.

More Shine 2008 Flickr photos:

And check out the Dutch Kaos Pilots video of their trip over....